With the widely felt feelings of isolation brought on by the COVID-19 lockdowns, many looked for ways to reconnect and spend time with other people. The age-old yet newly repopularized sport of pickleball has proven to be a popular avenue for people to find a place in a community once again.
Created in 1965 by U.S. Congressman Joel Pritchard and his friends Barney McCallum and Bill Bell, pickleball has been named the fastest growing sport for a third year in a row, with a reported 30 percent increase of U.S. pickleball members from 2022 to 2023. According to ESPN, many professional tennis stars such as Wimbledon finalist Eugenie Bouchard and Wimbledon champion Jack Sock have even switched to pickleball playing careers, with the two signing deals to play full-time in the Pro Tour of Pickleball.
Blaise Timco is a pickleball coach at the Jewish Community Center in Austin. As a coach, he has seen the popularity of pickleball in his local community center grow exponentially in recent memory, which he attributes not only to a friendly playing community, but also to the sport’s lack of physically demanding activity.
“In pickleball you are not hitting the ball as hard [as in tennis], it’s more of a strategy game of placement,” Timco said. “So, it allows people as they get older to be able to continue playing a racket or paddle sport.”
Henrick Kjallbring is a recreational pickleball player and a weightlifter in Austin. While Kjallbring lifts frequently, the strenuous exercises are not what he would describe as fun. In contrast, the relatively low amount of equipment and physical exertion needed to play a pickleball game are what he would describe as pull factors.
“I go to the gym [but it] doesn’t really have a pull factor for me,” Kjallbring said. “I can force myself to do it, but it’s not like I feel, ‘oh, well, I’m gonna go to the gym, and I’m gonna have so much fun,’… Pickleball is [something] that I really want to go [to].”
Throughout the past few years, coaches have been seeing more kids and young adults coming to play pickleball too. Timco has witnessed this change. Although most pickleball players are around 50 years old, he has seen many more kids get involved.
“Five years ago, I very rarely saw any kids come out and play,” Timco said. “[Kids make up] probably only 10 percent of the demographic, but it is definitely growing.”
Amy Yarbrough is another Austin pickleball coach. Yarbrough believes the perennial nature of the sport is what makes it fun for anybody, no matter their skill level or age, echoing Timco’s sentiments.
“As long as you’re playing with other people that are similar in your ability level, then you’re going to have a good time,” Yarbrough said. “So I think that’s why it’s grown so much, everybody can play it, everyone can have fun, and it’s also very social.”
There are many ways to get involved with pickleball, such as attending open pickleball at community centers around Austin. There are also sports apps to connect with other pickleball players online. According to Yarbrough, today, pickleball has become a sport where people can not only connect and have fun with older people, but also with any age group.
“I would stress that it’s not just for old people anymore,” Yarbrough said. “It is really fun. It’s like playing ping-pong but on a little bit bigger court.”
